2002 Ford Escape XLS from North America - Comments

30th May 2004, 00:32

The EPA rates the Escape 22 city and 27 highway - for the 4 cylinder, 5 speed. V6 (which only comes in an automatic) gets 18/24. The review claims he has a V6. He cannot personally claiming 22-26mpg. I think he works for Ford.

27th Feb 2005, 18:20

Have had my 2002 Ford Escape with 24000 miles on it for 4 weeks. Love the power and handling. Sound system is above par and the vehicle just rides well. My only problem, thus far, is the gas mileage. After 5 fill ups I average 16 MPG. I tried premium gas and averaged 15.8 mpg. I have changed the air filter and am wonder why the car is not as efficient as advertised. Any help regarding fuel efficiency would be appreciated.

28th Feb 2005, 10:00

To the last responder. The things you have done to improve fuel economy are right on. What you need to also check is the air pressure in the tires. Many people have the pressure in their tires way too low, which significantly lowers fuel economy, and also increases the risk of tire blow out due to sidewall wear. For example, my tires list a max pressure rating of 44psi, I run them at 40psi. This level of pressure will lead to a slightly bumpier ride in the vehicle, but is safer to reduce premature tire wear and greatly improves fuel economy. Having said that, do not over-inflate them either, for this leads to premature center wearing of the tire. Not to make you feel bad, but the small V-8 in my pickup averages 16 to 18mpg, and it is driven in stop light traffic on a regular basis.

1st Mar 2005, 01:08

Another point on fuel economy that I missed before. Premium gas will NOT get you better fuel economy. In fact it will most often give you worse fuel economy. Most cars, not all, are rated to run on 87 octane gasoline. Think of the money you will save at the pump using 87 instead of 93 octane gasoline.

11th Aug 2006, 10:54

I purchased a pre-owned 2002 Escape XLS 5-speed manual, 4-cylinder about 3 months ago. So far, I've driven about 5,000 miles. My highway gas mileage consistently averages 30 mpg. I like everything about the car except the excessive front end noise. It seems to be loudest at around 50 mph. Fortunately, at 65 - 70 mph the noise is acceptable. At lower speeds, I need ear plugs. At first I thought the problem might be related to a front-end collision that the previous owner reported to me, but now I'm reading that road noise is a common complaint from other owners. Has anyone found a solution to this problem, short of buying another car?

9th Oct 2006, 08:11

I purchased a used 2002 Ford Escape last week and not even 48 hours later my truck would not start. It didn't seem like a battery problem because everything such as my radio, power windows, etc. were still operating. The dealership had the vehicle towed to their mechanics and are currently working on the problem. I am scared to take the truck back in fear of what problems may occur next. Is it worth giving another chance?

12th Aug 2008, 21:36

We have 2002 Escape V6 4x4 and we love it - it is fast, fun and roomy vehicle. It is easy to get in and to put our two kids in, and the trunk is nice size.

Now the noise and the MPG: Wind noise is bad, but the road noise is worse yet - we did so many things to reduce the noise but it seems that it is coming from the transmission housing. The expert told us that we have a "planetary burnup " = new tranny.

Gas mileage is 12-15 city and 20 MPG highway - we just couldn't get any better!